Sanity of Insanity
by radpineapple
Summary: Rex, Ahsoka, and Anakin are sent on a mission to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a clone platoon. This is my first fanfiction I have ever written, so it is definitely not my best, but please enjoy.
Star Wars the Clone Wars Fan Fiction

The Sanity of Insanity

Curiosity and danger usually go hand in hand.

 _Captured! A clone platoon was sent into the planet Aderok to retrieve crucial information about Separatist battle plans and tactics, but they were soon captured after only a few hours after their arrival. Now it is up to Anakin Skywalker and his Padawan Ahsoka Tano to rescue the clones and retrieve the information._

Inside a Republic cruiser Captain Rex quickly walked over to General Skywalker, "Sir, the Separatists on Aderok are jamming our transmissions, we cannot call for back up."

"That's alright Rex; I believe our team can do it even though we do not have many men. Are you ready Ahsoka?"

"You don't even have to ask, Master," Ahsoka said smiling, ready for the challenge. Anakin smiled back and then looked at the nearby planet. It was dark red with tan streaks covering most of the planet.

"Get your men ready, Rex, we lost the transmission of the lost platoon in a very deep jungle; we need to be on high alert," Anakin said.

"Yes Sir!" Rex saluted then went off to prepare his men.

An hour later, Anakin, Ahsoka, and Captain Rex and his team were in the deep, dark red forests of Aderok. "Okay," General Skywalker said. "This is where we lost the signal of the clone platoon. Spread out and tell me if you find anything or see anything." Anakin, Rex, and Ahsoka all went off with their own troop of clones to investigate the jungle even further.

Ahsoka went left, leading the men with the light of her two green lightsabers. The jungle was very dense, so it was dark even in the middle of the day. Ahsoka and her men were on high alert. "Did you see that?" one of the clones asked.

"No," Ahsoka said. "What was it?"

"I'm not sure. It looks like there's something in the brush over there." The clone said, pointing to a particularly brushy area of the jungle.

"Well," Ahsoka said. "Let's take a better look." Ahsoka and her men cautiously approached the brush. Ahsoka knelt down next to the brush and uncovered it. Her eyes widened and she gasped.

O

Anakin continued to go straight along his path in the dark, shady forest. He and his men continued to move forward for fifteen minutes. Anakin was beginning to get impatient. He tried his com link to see if he could communicate with Ahsoka and Rex. Nothing. The Separatists must have been jamming their systems all the way down here. He had not counted on this. What would happen if one of them was in danger or found something? He was beginning to get angry, and he sighed. "Have you guys seen or heard anything, yet?" Anakin asked his men for what seemed like the thousandth time. They all shook their heads. Anakin sighed again. This was getting really frustrating. He knew that Obi-Wan would tell him to calm down, focus, and think with a clear head, but Obi-Wan was not here.

Anakin was about to ask his men if they had heard or seen anything for was seemed the millionth time when he felt the ground below him shaking. There was a metal clanking sound and the shaking began to worsen. "General!" one of the men exclaimed. A new guy by the look of his armor, "What's happening?" he asked.

"I'm not sure," Anakin replied, and before he could say anything else, the ground beneath them disappeared and they fell into the blackness below them.

O

Rex went right into the dark, deep red forest. He didn't like this place. There was something off, but he couldn't tell what it was. He could tell his men felt it, too. They were all uneasy. It wasn't long before they spotted the Separatist base that the first platoon was sent in to infiltrate. Rex tried his com link to tell General Skywalker, but all he got was static. The Separatists must be jamming the transmissions. "Alright men," Rex said, surveying his troops. A bunch of rookies. This was not going to be easy. "We need to get into this base, but it ain't gonna be easy, so we need to be alert and absolutely silent. We need to find a way into this base that won't get the clankers' attention. See anything, boys?" Captain Rex new the way in. There was a ventilation shaft fifteen feet to their left behind some trees. He wanted to see if his men would see it.

Rex looked at his men intensely searching the base and its surrounding area for a way in. He saw a clone approaching the ventilation shaft. "Here, Captain! I found something!" the clone said.

"Very good," Captain Rex said, "What's your name, soldier?"

"They call me Alonzo, Sir."

"Well, done Alonzo. Alright troopers, we enter here." The clones slowly and quietly entered the ventilation shaft. Rex immediately knew something was wrong. The air was musty and stale, which was strange for a ventilation shaft, but he and his men continued forward. Eventually, he and his men found the main control room. Seeing that no one was inside of it, Rex and his men silently descended from the ventilation shaft into the room. Dead silence. "This is weird," one of the troopers whispered, "there doesn't seem to be anybody home." Rex silently agreed with him. Rex went over to the controls. There was a message that had not been checked yet. The date of the message was the date that the platoon when missing. Rex activated the message.

A clone appeared. Rex recognized him as the leader in charge of the platoon. "Something strange is going on here," the clone said in the message. "There was no one at the base when we got here. It seems abandoned." Suddenly there was screaming coming from somewhere on the message. The clone quickly looked to his right. He looked back and slowly leaned forward, "My men have slowly been losing their minds," the clone whispered. "We have only been here for twenty minutes and twelve clones have already died." The clone took off his helmet to reveal a fancy symbol shaved in his hair. The clone looked very nervous, very scared. "I don't want to admit it," he said. "But I am next. There are signs, you know. Before you go crazy." There was a loud bang and gunshots. "I-I need to go. I-I just can't anymore. I'm sorry." The message ended.

O

Ahsoka lifted the clone helmet from under the brush so she could see it better. It was all mangled like someone had viscously scratched at it with their fingernails. There was silence as Ahsoka and the men studied the helmet. "Look!" One of the clones exclaimed, "There's writing inside." Ahsoka turned the helmet so she could see inside of it. She lifted her lightsaber so she could use its light to read the writing. It said:

Before you realize it,

It is with you.

Before you understand it,

It is inside of you.

Before you know it,

It grows in you.

Before you can speak,

It controls you.

Before you can scream,

It kills you.

"Is the writing written in blood?!" One of the clones asked, horrified,

"I need to contact General Skywalker," Ahsoka said, clearly shaken. "Master," Ahsoka said into her com link, "Master! Can you hear me?" She said more desperately.

"The Separatists must be jamming our com links," one of the clones said.

"Or is it someone else?" Ahsoka said. There was a slight pause as they all pondered who it could be.

"Who could do this?" One of the clones said, looking at the scratched helmet.

"Or what could do this," Ahsoka said. The clones all looked at each other. There was something sinister about this whole situation; there was something sinister about this whole planet, and it seemed to be lurking around every corner.

O

Anakin quickly stood up and turned on his lightsaber, ready for a fight. This sort of dirty play was something the Separatists would do. Anakin waited for the attack to come, but it did not. He heard his men groaning from the fall. They had only fallen about twenty feet into a pit, but the ground had closed them in. Everything was dark except from the light coming from Anakin's lightsaber. Anakin surveyed his clones; they all seemed to be okay. "Is everyone alright?" Anakin asked, just in case. All of the clones were standing now.

"We're fine, General," one of the clones said.

"Alright," Anakin said. "I don't know where we are, so stick together. Turn your night vision on. If you see anything or hear anything, tell me immediately. Something's not right about this place." Anakin said warily.

"How do you know, General?" One of the clones asked.

"Because he's a Jedi! They just know this kind of stuff," another clone answered back. "Right, General?"

"Yeah," Anakin said. "Jedi can sense the presence of evil, and it is definitely here."

"That's just great," said the first clone.

"General," one of the clones said, "do we have any water, I'm parched."

"Yeah we do," Anakin said. One of the clones offered the thirsty clone some water. He viscously grabbed the water and gulped down the entire canteen in a matter of seconds. A few of the clones exchanged looks.

O

"Captain," one of the clones said to Rex. "Look at this." Rex came closer. None of the lights were working. Rex just wanted to get himself and his men out of that Separatist base. Even though they all had night vision, it wasn't helping much.

"What is it?" Rex asked.

"It's some sort of writing," the clone replied. "Read it. It's creepy." Rex read it. It said:

The First Sign:

Intense Thirst

"What is that even supposed to mean?!" One of the clones said frantically.

"Just stay calm," Rex said. "Just focus on getting out of here. The map from the control room says we need to continue down this hallway."

O

Ahsoka didn't know what to do. She had returned back to the ship, but neither Rex nor her Master had returned. The clones were beginning to get restless. To be honest, so was Ahsoka. "Okay men," Ahsoka said. "We need to go back and investigate further."

"Are you sure that's a good idea, ma'am?" A clone asked.

"Yes I'm sure. Besides, the others aren't back yet. What's the harm?"

"Before we go, may I have a drink?"

"Of course." Ahsoka handed the clone the canteen. He desperately took the cap off and guzzled down the entire canteen in just seconds. "Wow," Ahsoka said. "You were really thirsty."

"You have no idea."

O

"Captain Rex?"

"Yes?"

"Look, Sir."

The Second Sign:

Intense Hunger

O

Anakin was puzzled. His men were extremely thirsty. At first it was just a few, but soon all of them had become extremely thirsty. All of the water was gone in a matter of minutes. The pit that Anakin and his men had fallen into seemed to be a closed container. The walls were a thick layer of steel, and it was so dark that no one could see the ceiling. The men had searched and searched, but there was no exit. "Is there any water left?" Anakin asked. He suddenly needed water. Now. All he could think about was water. It's purity. It's clarity. It's taste. How it felt to drink it, and the satisfaction that came with quenching thirst. He couldn't stand it. He needed water. He longed for it.

"Sorry, General," a clone said. "We are all out, remember?"

"Oh yeah," Anakin said, dazed. How could he have forgotten, but as they continued to search for an exit, all Anakin could think about was water.

O

Trees. That's all there were. Just trees and trees and trees and trees for miles. "Uh!" Ahsoka exclaimed. "There are only trees in this terrible forest! Why can't we find anything else?!" She said frustratedly. "We have been walking _forever_!" Ahsoka turned to her men, "How are you guys holding up?"

"Fine ma'am, but we drank all the water. We are all super thirsty, and Bigshot over here is hungry."

"Very hungry," Bigshot said. Ahsoka sighed.

"Well alright then, I guess we should head back." Ahsoka said reluctantly.

O

"Uh, Sir," a clone said nervously.

"Yes?" Rex said wearily.

"This one is freaking me out."

The Third Sign:

Hallucinations

There was silence as the men read the writing. They were afraid. Rex had to say something, anything to comfort them. "Am I gonna be the first to admit it?" A clone said.

"What?" Rex said, afraid of the answer.

"I'm really thirsty." There was silence.

"I think we all are." Rex said.

O

Anakin thought the thirst was bad. Ha! It was not nearly as bad the hunger. Oh no. The hunger was bad. They had all given up on finding an exit. It was so hard, especially with the hunger. There was only one thing that mattered now. Food. It was all anyone could think about. It started with conversations about food, but soon that wasn't enough. The men started talking about their favorite foods and what foods they would eat when they got back. That soon ended. Everyone was slouched against the wall. Silent. They were all thinking about food. The taste. The texture. The smell, oh the smell. It was too much. "We have to do something to get our minds off of this!" Anakin said.

"What do you suggest?" A clone asked.

"Anything! Just anything!" Anakin said. Desperate to think about anything except food.

"Alright then, how about we um, uh, I don't know." A clone tried.

"Eat?" Another said.

"Yes!" A few answered enthusiastically.

"I can't think about anything else!" One clone said. Then there was silence. The only thing that mattered was food. That's all that should be discussed or thought about. No one said anything.

O

"Something's wrong. I've never been this thirsty before!" Ahsoka said. "I mean I've gone without water for hours, but this is the worst I've ever gone through!" There was silence among the group.

"Me too." A clone admitted.

"And me."

"And me."

"I think we all feel this way." A wise clone said. They all nodded.

"Maybe we should get back to the ship." Ahsoka suggested.

"Good idea." There was a pause as the clones looked back from where they came.

"Uh, where exactly are we?" A clone asked nervously. Ahsoka looked uncertainly back.

"Follow me." She said with confidence she didn't have. Ahsoka then led the men back to where they came. At least that's what she thought. It wasn't long before she heard screaming.

O

This time Rex and his men just read the sign and moved on. They were too hungry to care.

The Fourth Sign:

Hysteria

"Sir, look!" One of the clones exclaimed. "A clone." Rex slowly approached him.

"Are you okay, brother?"

"I killed them. I killed them all."

"Killed who?" Rex asked.

"They're all dead. I stored them in the closet. But don't look! No no! No looking! They can never be seen. They should never be seen."

"Why?"

"Before you realize it,

It is with you.

Before you understand it,

It is inside of you.

Before you know it,

It grows in you.

Before you can speak,

It controls you.

Before you can scream,

It kills you."

The men exchanged looks.

"He must've killed the clone platoon." Rex said.

"Sh!" The insane clone said. "No one must know! No one must know! Hee hee hee! Ha!"

"We need to leave," Rex said. The men nodded in agreement.

"It's too late. Remember?

Before you realize it,

It is with you.

Before you understand it,

It is inside of you.

Before you know it,

It grows in you.

Before you can speak,

It controls you.

Before you can scream,

It kills you."

Rex and his men left, but the insane clone's laughter echoed down the halls, following them. Rex and his men did not know it at the time, but they would have many nightmares filled with that laughter.

O

Anakin heard something. "Did you hear that?" he said as he turned his lightsaber on.

"What, Sir?" Anakin cautiously moved deeper into the dark. He heard the noise again and spun around. He had his men's attention now. The men rose and grabbed their guns. That's when Anakin saw it.

"Look out!" He said before he sliced off its head.

"General!"

"Sh! There could be more!" Anakin didn't know how, but it happened. There were Sand People in the pit with them. He saw another and stabbed. Another, sliced in half. Yet another, beheaded. There was screaming. The Sand People. It was fueling his anger. He had to kill them. He had to kill them all. His rage filled him, and he easily took them. Every last one. He hoped they suffered for what they had done. Anakin panted and looked around at the pile of dead bodies surrounding him. He had done it. He had killed them all. Suddenly the ceiling opened and light spilled into the pit. "Master?"

O

Rex and his men had just finished reading the last sign when they heard the screaming. It was just as foreboding as the sign was.

The Fifth Sign:

Death

O

Ahsoka rushed towards the screaming. "That sounds like clones!" Bigshot exclaimed.

"I know," Ahsoka said. She was sure she was close, but as soon as she was close, the screams started to fade. She ran back.

"They're underground!" One of the clones said. Ahsoka used her lightsabers to cut a hole into the ground. The ground was made of metal, which surprised her. The screaming stopped when she finished cutting the whole. What she saw next terrified her. "Master?" Anakin was standing amidst a pile of dead clones. He was heavily panting. He had clearly killed the clones. They all had lightsaber wounds.

"Ahsoka?"

"Master," Ahsoka hesitated, "what – what did you do?"

"What?"

"The clones!" Anakin looked down at the clones. He seemed confused. Then he started laughing.

"I don't get it." A clone from Asoka's troop said.

"It's hysteria," said a voice from below. Rex and his men had found the door that led to the cave. General Skywalker and his men must have been too thirsty and hungry to have found it. "It's one of the signs."

"Signs?" Ahsoka asked.

"Of The Madness," Rex said. "We need to get him out of here. He will die soon. Can you get us out?" Ahsoka used the force to get Rex, her Master, and the rest Rex's troop out of the pit.

"If we hurry we can save him," Rex said. Anakin looked dazed and confused. Ahsoka grabbed his hand and pulled him along as Rex led them all back to the ship.

O

"I don't get it," Obi-Wan said to Ahsoka while he was looking at Anakin through the window at the medical bay. "What exactly happened?"

"Honestly," Ahsoka said. "I don't know."

"He's lucky to be alive, Ahsoka. This disease he has, it has wiped out entire systems. People literally turn on each other and kill each other. That is why you found a clone helmet with fingernail scratches on it. They killed each other. This is a terrible disease. It is known as The Madness. You know there is a nursery rhyme that goes with it."

"Really?" Ahsoka said. "What is it?"

"Before you realize it,

It is with you.

Before you understand it,

It is inside of you.

Before you know it,

It grows in you.

Before you can speak,

It controls you.

Before you can scream,

It kills you."

"Yup, that's creepy. Thanks Master." Obi-Wan smiled,

"No problem."

The End

For Rex, it had been a long day. Many innocent clones died, and he was worried about the unavoidable charges that would be pressed against his General. He wasn't angry, just worried. One of the rookies that had gone through this whole ordeal with him walked up and casually asked, "Sir? I'm new here and I don't know where anything is. I'm really thirsty; can you tell me where the water is?"


End file.
